Balochistan has been in the news for many reasons – good and bad. Well…. rarely good. Many are under the false impression that Balochistan is just a big piece of barren land. To all the people who are unaware of the largest province of Pakistan, here is a glimpse of its capital, Quetta!

This is a compilation of 10 exciting things we can do in the summers while in Quetta:

1. Kayaking on Hanna Lake

Kayaking in the summer is always SO MUCH FUN! Couple that with Hanna Lake’s serene blue waters and sandy brown hills in the backdrop, and you have yourself a winner!

Source: tguidegb.blogspot.com

2. Go trekking and hiking!

To the north lies Zarghoon Mountain, Murdar in the East, Chiltan in the South and Takatu in the West. This province, all in all, is hiking and trekking paradise!

Source: nativepakistan.com

3. Visit the Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum at Fifa Road has a wide collection of antique items like guns, swords and manuscripts. In fact, you will even find fossils that date back 540 millions years! How cool is that? If things like that interest you, then your place of calling is the Museum of Geological History. Their famous display, The Invertebrate Gallery showcases 500 million old marine fossils. They also have artifacts, paintings and photographs of the British military at the Command and Staff College Museum.

Source: snipview.com

4. Treasure hunt at Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park, maybe?

Located 20km from Quetta, this place has rest houses, museums and picnic spots where you can hangout with your family and friends. Hazarganji literally translates to “Of a thousand treasures”. Legend has it that over a thousand treasures are buried there. That should make you a little curious.

Source: visitpakistanonline

5. Picnics near the Urak valley

Nothing beats a little picnic by the side of a gorgeous lake. The weather in Quetta is almost ALWAYS perfect for a nice picnic and the summers are great! Tempted yet?

Source: Paktravelism.com

6. Nature lover? See all the variety of plants and birds at Kharkhasa recreational park!

Karkhasa is a recreation park situated at distance of 10kms to the west of Quetta. It is a 16kms long narrow valley comprising of a variety of floral beauties like the Ephedra, Artimisia and Sophora. This is also fantastic for bird-watching with many partridges and other wild birds always flying by to say hello. Limited recreational facilities are provided to the visitors through the Forest Department, Spinney Road, Quetta.

Source: triposo.com

7. Fun at the amusement parks: Askari park!

A famous recreational park situated near the airport. This is the best place to let your kids use up their energy! Make it a day trip and watch them sleep like babies in the night! Win-win!

Source: pak101.com/

8. Take a road trip to Ziarat.

Ziarat is approximately three hours away and this is the best time to take said road trip. Explore the area and have fun on the new adventures – the place is gorgeous!!

Source: newspakistan.pk

BONUS) Also, Eat fruits fresh off the trees!

Year round, the most famous, delicious most appetising fruits come from Quetta. And the summers are especially famous. This fruit season you will find nature’s bounties loaded on the trees. You can go ahead and eat ‘em fresh off the trees, especially cherries!

Source: tribune.com.pk

9. Have fun shopping!

The most beautiful handicrafts, embroidery, carpets, silver jewelry and decorations are available at the renowned bazaars. The Kandhari Bazaar and Liaquat Bazaars are especially worth mentioning. Everyone needs a souvenir from their travels, right?

Source: starz.pk

10. The food!

You need to try the rosh and sajji of Quetta. After that you can enjoy the city’s most famous local ice-cream called sheer-e-yakh.

Sajji

Source: pakistanpaedia.com

Rosh

Source: pakwheels.com

Sheer e yakh

Source: afghankitchenrecipes.com

If all of this hasn’t tempted you to plan your summer vacation in Quetta, we don’t know what will. What we do know is, you are missing out on A LOT of beauty and adventure!